


Not everyone wants to be a champion

by Sirianna123



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:35:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21562336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirianna123/pseuds/Sirianna123
Summary: Living in Motostoke Victor it wasn't possible to know nothing about what was happening in the Pokemon League during the current season. He knew some names of challengers, Raihan and Leon were two he heard most often, not that he's seen any of their battles or faces. With that, he wasn't surprised his grandfather was excited for the two to battle in the finale, with what seemed like the whole region excited for them especially.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Masaru | Victor, Leon/Masaru | Victor
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> :Canon divergence, no chairman Rose plan ever happened no legendary pokemon:

Motostoke wasn't so bad outside of the pokemon battle season, it wasn't particularly pretty but there were still some pretty nice sights to draw, not that anyone in his family cared about his hobbies. Victor was never very interested in pokemon battles an anything connected to them, he didn't even really want to own pokemon. This was rather weird considering his grandfather was once a well-known gym leader in Galar and his name was still recognized even years after he retired. Victor didn't even remember the time his grandfather was a famous ghost pokemon trainer, for him Gengar was just a pokemon like any other and gramps was an annoying old man who constantly complained about how dumb and weak trainers got over the years. It was even worse for Victor because he was always left with ol' Edward whenever his parents were at work. Victor's father had a desk job at the Pokemon League, and his mother worked at a famous restaurant as a chef.

Around his thirteenth birthday, Victor was as usually on a weekday left with grandpa and his pokemon, and he was quickly informed there was season finale playing so no cartoon, not that Victor was interested in those. He usually just drew in his sketchbook anyway. That day was different from the very start. For starters, gramps insisted he pays attention and didn't complain at all about commercials or anything. With nothing else to do Victor didn't mind, and some pokemon were kind of pretty to draw.

Living in Motostoke Victor it wasn't possible to know nothing about what was happening in the Pokemon League during the current season. He knew some names of challengers, Raihan and Leon were two he heard most often, not that he's seen any of their battles or faces. With that, he wasn't surprised his grandfather was excited for the two to battle in the finale, with what seemed like the whole region excited for them especially.

"There hadn't been trainers like this for a while, Vic," grandpa said setting, hard dry cookies and pot of tea on the table and turning the TV on. Even with the battles happening in the town they weren't at the stadion, grandpa didn't like crowds, not one bit and Victor agreed with him. "Leon boy, in particular, is good, his Charizard beat all of old Geemie's pokemon, a rarity even with him having type advantage" it was rare for him to praise any trainer, last one he praised that much became champion some two years ago.

"You think he's got the makings of a champion?" Victor asked, mostly to please gramps so he wouldn't bother him with cookies which were terrible.

"He just might be the next one, indeed" gramps agreed, ignoring Victor passing cookies to Gengar, the old ghost was only one in the world that liked those. "Shus now, it's starting."

Victor didn't complain as sponsors started flashing on the screen, instead, he took out his sketchbook, just in case inspiration hit, he's never seen a Charizard and was very excited to. When trainers were finally shown for the semi-finale, a battle to decide who is going to challenge the champion for the title of the best in Galar, it wasn't a pokemon that caught Victors attention, he who was mostly focused on sketching nature, animals, pokemon, for the first time ever felt the desire to sketch a person. Leon, in Victor's eye, was absolute perfection, even in one of those ugly uniforms League made the trainers wear, and with Charizard out Victor felt even more inclined to sketch. After that Victor pain no attention to anything other than Leon, he was never as excited by a pokemon battle as then when Leon defeated Raihan and then the champion. By then he had a full sketch of Leon's face with a wide triumphant smile, a smile of a champion.

With that day Victor became slightly obsessed with the new champion, not that he'd ever admitted it, no thirteen years old would admit it. What he could admit was a slight crush maybe, but not an obsession. Not that his father cared much, he was very unhappy his son started to show interest in pokemon and people, he already had plans for Victor to go to good school and never bother with funny things like pokemon battles, and it wasn't long before the divorce was finalized and Victor was moving with his mother to a small town of Postwick.

Victor missed why it happened, he was to busy being obsessed, truly interested in something other than sketching and drawing for the first time, he was the type to put either his all or nothing into whatever he's doing. He totally invested himself into sketching after his grandma gave him a sketchbook and pencils for his eleventh birthday, and he completely invested himself into Leon, however weird it was and didn't pay much attention to anything. All he cared about was that apparently, Leon was from Postwick.

In reality, his parents divorced because of an offhanded comment Victor made when his father asked what he'd do if no one wanted an obsessive person like him, he'd say hed just have to marry someone like Leon...


	2. Chapter 2

Compared to Motostoke, Victor liked Potwick a lot more. He'd even go as far as to say he loved it, not as much as he loved sketching or Leon, but it was pretty close, mostly because unlike smog, people filled city it was full of nature and quiet. It being the hometown of Leon was a nice addition to its perfect aesthetic. For the first few weeks, he mostly wandered amongst fields and pastures, sometimes sketching a particularly nice view or place, mapping the place and thinking about Leon, if he ever walked the particular path Victor was walking and if he liked it here better than town and so on. Another good point was his grandmother's cottage he and his mother moved to after the divorce since she decided to move to the city for better access to health care and her brother. It was a small cottage with beautiful flowers Victor's mother instantly fell in love with, and he spends half of the first day sketching the bushes in great detail.

Even with how great Postwick was there was one thing Victor didn't like, well not as much as didn't like as found immeasurably annoying - Hop. Hop's family were their closest neighbours and their mothers very quickly became friends, much to Victor's chagrin, he hat to get up very early to avoid Hop coming to bother him. Making friends wasn't in Victor's most immediate plans, drawing was much more fun to him. Hop had a different idea of fun, to him bothering Victor seemed like fun.

Victor managed to avoid Hop for about a month before the other caught to how early he woke up and left on his trips.

"You're up early, even by my standards," Victor heard one day "aren't you Vic?"

"Don't call me that and leave me alone, I'm busy," Victor grumbled, he hated waking up early, and marched away in is opinion quickly, but not in Hop's as he easily caught up and managed to keep up to him.  
"What are you doing? There isn't much to do around here," Hop was nearly shouting, clearly excited to have a friend around his age. Victor just groaned, he should have stayed in bed. "What is all this stuff for?" Hop asked pointing at Victor's sketching kit.

Victor doesn't answer, hoping he gets bored and leaves, it doesn't happen. Not that day not over the next week, changing his sleep schedule and routes did nothing to keep Hop away, he knew the area too well. Eventually, Victor just gave up and let Hop bother him but ignored all questions about his sketchbook and refused to show it to him, much like he kept his room secret too.

By that time cold, windy, wet autumn reached Postwick and Victor felt as if he wasted his summer on avoiding Hop. He certainly had a list of things he didn't manage to get sketched. It was also about then he realised he and mom moved at least or the foreseeable future moved from the town, not just for the summer. He didn't mind the countryside in the summer when it was warm but in the autumn when it got colder he started to dislike it. Living in Motostoke he got used to it being warm all year long with steam running through the whole town but in the sticks, there was no such comfort. Thus he got very annoyed when Hop pretty much dragged him out on the so far coldest day of his life to an open, empty field to meet his brother Victor was annoyed.

Standing in the cold wind, waiting for 'Lee' who was apparently butt at directions sucked, at least for Victor who refused to snuggle Hop's Wooloo, he still had some pride left.

"You'll love Lee, he's a great trainer, he promised he'll get mi a pokemon when I'm sixteen and ready to take on the gym challenge, maybe he'll get you one too? That would be wicked." Hop said from somewhere in Woolo's wool.

"If you knew he'd be late why did you drag me out here so early?" Victor complained, in this weather, he couldn't even sketch from memory or draw, it was just too cold to hold a pen, not that Hop gave him time to get his stuff. With laughter serving for the only answer he huffed and tried to wrap himself with a too thin for this weather jacket. "Ten minutes and I'm going home, I don't feel like getting sick," he shot a final complaint.

"You are so much like an old man," Hop sniggered looking at the sky, "I think I see him." Victor was somewhat comforted by that and looked where Hop was and he nearly run away.

Leon, the freaking champion was flying their way on his Charizard and there was no way they were going anywhere else and Hop shouting 'Lee!' and waving with doubled enthusiasm. "You shouldn't introduce your brother to people with a nickname," Victor grumbled poking Hop in the side, "It' very confusing, Lee and Leon have nothing in common." he continued muttering jut to be completely ignored.

His main problem with Hop was that he rarely listened to anyone, he just went with the flow and assumed everyone around him knew what he had in mind. It wasn't the way Victor worked, he thrived on lack of plans and being alone. He didn't mind company but when he was working on something he didn't want anyone getting in his way, though he wouldn't mind Leon doing it... but he was different. Much more handsome in person than on TV for once.

"Hop! So this is this friend you were talking about?" Leon asked first thing after landing just as Charizard retreated to his Pokeball. Victor felt like he was about to fain what would be an absolute embarrassment so after taking a long breath, and completely ignoring whatever Hop was saying went to introduce himself only hoping he won't say something stupid.

"Victor, nice to finally meet you. Hop talks about you a lot," he muttered shaking Leon's extended hand. His heart was beating very quickly and he was sure it could be heard, and he was certain he was shaking, just not sure if from cold or nerves. Hearing Leon laugh at his awkward introduction nearly shut Victor down, he wanted to remember that moment for the rest of his days and erase Hop protesting in the background (I don't talk about Lee That Much!), he was absolutely destroying the moment.

The next two or three hours were both the best day in Victor's life and the worst. Best because he had spent them with Leon and worst because of two things, first Hop's constant talking and second, they were (Leon and Hop) training pokemon, well as much as Hop could train young, stubborn wooloo that prefered to nap more than to train. The training part wasn't the worst actually, Hop's wooloo was not abut training and caused its trainer to land face-first into snow at least five times before Leon called the training and decided to herd his brother back home with Victor following. Well, according to Leon both Hop and Victor were being herded but Victor refused to be lumped together with Hop, he still had some dignity to save after the disaster his introduction was. 


	3. Leon's thoughts

_Note: Leon 17 y/o, Victor 15 y/o_

Leon had no idea how to describe his first impression of Victor. Meeting him felt like he didn't. The silent kid that watched him give Hop pointers on training his Wooloo was nothing like the boy his brother was telling him about over the past few months. He expected someone grumpier and angrier than a hungry Corviknight, not silent stares and quiet mumbling whenever he asked him anything. He had no words to describe the silent stare that followed him all the time since he landed, maybe even longer. It reminded him of analytical stares his opponents gave him when they were trying to guess what he was about to do in battle, getting something like this out of the battle was rather unpleasant, and from someone who very quickly said he's not interested in Pokemon battles.

_Three years later. Note: Leon 19 y/o, Victor 17 y/o_

"Raaaaaihan" Leon whined at his probably closest friend in the entire Pokemon League, definitely annoying him.

"What?" Raihan sighed, regretting it as soon as he opened his mouth. It was rare for Leon to stick around after his training as long as he did that day, usually, he'd just go bother someone else after first couple whines failed to get him a response.

"Have I told you how I meet Hop's friend some two years ago?"

"The creepy staring one that doesn't like battles? Yeah, what is it now? Some new weird friend?" Raihan asked, giving up on his training there was no doing anything productive with his team when something was interesting, his pokemon were far too curious.

"No new friends, Hop isn't the type to make many friends. No, it's Victor, he's sketching, and he's good, he gave me a sketch of Charizard when I visited home last time. He's good, very good."

Raihan raised an eyebrow, Leon was being weirder than usually. "And?"

"Nothing, just.. I'm in trouble. He's my brother's friend, I shouldn't be thinking he's getting good looking, right. That's weird, isn't it?" Leon said with a weird grimace.

Raihan was shocked. He's never heard Leon say anything about crushes or anyone he liked or hearing about him dating anyone. "I have no idea, I have no younger siblings, Nessa and I are twins and we never really had many personal friends. You can ask Pierce tho, he's got a younger sister, I think," he shrugged. "How old is the kid anyway?"

"Same as Hop I think, about fifteen," Leon said quickly. Raihan and Nessa being siblings wasn't a hidden secret, just not something that was commonly known so he wasn't shocked, he was a bit surprised that, young prickly dark gym leader had a family. "Pierce has a sister? How do you know that?"

"Rose send me to deliver some paperwork to him and I saw her, Marnie I think, it looks like it's just the two of them, but I don't think he'd have any experience in what you're interested in," Raihan clarified, putting his pokemon back in their pokeballs "Actually, I think that this kid sound familiar to one of trainers at my gym, her grandfather is a former gym leader of Motostoke, Edward Jones, I'm sure you've heard of him."

"Isn't he Alistair's grandfather?" Leon asked, confused for a moment, "I mean, I think I heard about at least two of E'Jo's children taking the challenge back in the day, or maybe I saw it in some old papers?"

"The same seems they're cousins, she's been speaking about her grandfather giving her and her brother their first pokemon., I think their parents live separately due to work or health, I'm not sure, maybe your brother's friend," Raihan shrugged, "When are you visiting home again?"

"After our exhibition match, I'm taking some young pokemon for Hop to pick one for his gym journey, I'll probably include Victor too if he's around. I don't think he'd mind not going much but Hop will probably complain if he doesn't at least have an option," Leon said with a slight smile tugging at his lips. Was it at the though of his brother's reaction to getting a pokemon, or Victor?

Raihan laughed, loudly getting some stares from trainers practising at open-air practice gym they were at, "I'm looking forward to meeting them both, I'm sure your brother taking the challenge will be big news. Are you going to endorse them?"

"I'll try to get Professor Magnolia to endorse them, I'll only do it if she disagrees, I think Hop will have enough attention on him without it," Leon sighed picking up his bag and waving at some fans as he and Raihan walked to private changing rooms the league provided leaders and the champion with.

"She probably will. Anyway, I'm going back, some of my younger trainers are taking the challenge so I have some holes to fill. Good luck with your crush and Magnolia and tell Sonia I said hi if you see her."

"If I didn't know better I'd say you like her," Leon teased with a wink "Tell Pierce I said hi when you see him," Leon said blocking laugh and tucking into his changing room before Raihan could work out what he said.

That talk with Raihan gave Leon some stuff to think about. Wasn't E'Jo old champion's brother? For a brief second, he thought about visiting Mustard to ask about it but thought better of it. That old man would never let him live it down if he found even a hint of him having a crush. Just thinking back to when Sonia meet his teacher send shivers down the champion's back. "I'd better go pick those pokemon for Hop and Victor," he muttered to himself as he changed to a bit less "I'm here, I'm the Champion' outfit.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: Leon 19 y/o, Victor 17 y/o, Hop 15 y/o

Victor's sixteenth birthday was a rather exciting day for several reasons.   
One. his parents got back together after talking about it for months, they still lived separately because of work but mom often visited dad.   
Two, they went to see Leon's exhibition match.   
Three, Victor's father gifted him with a camera.  
And four, his grandfather gave him a pokemon. A dreepy, a ghost pokemon native to the Galar region. Victor would not be as excited as he was if Leon didn't have one on his team, plus with a pokemon he could go to places he normally could not. On the other hand, he had to hide Mona, as he decided to name the young female ghost-dragon pokemon, from Hop so that his 'friend' wouldn't bother him about pokemon battles, training and boring stuff like that.

It also had bad sides, his twin sister recently won the Minor Cup challenge and was now a trainer at the Dragon gym and was planning to go to the Major League Challenge as a trainer endorsed by the gym and everyone in the family was excited about it and all Victor had to add to those conversation's was that his friend would be taking on the challenge. Very boring stuff.

By the time his seventeenth birthday came around Leon visited a few times, once not long after his birthday and wished him a happy birthday. Another thing was that Mona was quite a bully by nature. In just a year she reached her final evolution by beating wild pokemon when Victor let her out to roam as she pleased while he either sketched or photographed pokemon and flowers, mainly flowers, Mona did a good job scaring away any wild pokemon. Having a strong pokemon made avoiding Hop a bit easier but he was training hard with his Wooloo and it started to be able to battle some weaker wild pokemon.

With his sixteenth birthday coming up, Hop was becoming unbearable with how much he talked about the Gym Challenge.

All Victor was looking up to was seeing Leon when he comes to give Hop his starter. He was hoping Hop would give up on the idea of dragging him along, he hoped Hop would at least ask him without Leon around. Just telling him he's not interested in pokemon battles was hard enough, telling the champion 'no' for the second time was not something he could do.

"One of us going to beat Lee and become the champion," Hop saying this the evening before Leon would come by for Hop's late birthday party made Victor worry for his safety.

...

On the morning of Hop's birthday party, Victor was watching Leon's exhibition match with Raihan on his brand new phone his dad sen him along with his old bag from when he went on the challenge. Probably to motivate him to go on the way. The peaceful morning was interrupted by Hop being noisy and excited.

"Victor!" he just barged in, Victor chooses to be quiet. Mom was of course excited. She was excited about Hop befriending her son since she meets the boy for the first time, she probably hoped he motivates her son to take the challenge. "I record all my brother's matches, Lee's going to be here any moment, you should come too." Hop carried on talking as if Victor ever answered his greeting with more than a side glance. "Don't forget that huge bag of yours. Now I've got to run, see you at mine!" 

And like that Hop left Victor very unhappy with his decision to get up in the morning. With a sigh, he got up and trudged to get his hat and bag. He might as well go if Leon was going to be there. 

He barely caught a glimpse of Hop scolding a wooloo hitting a gate to the Weald and running off, with the pokemon carrying out its smashing. With Hop gone, Victor let out Mona to chase the wooloo away and slowly walked towards Hop's house among rolling hills of fields and wooloo making unhappy noises at Mona.

Reaching Hop's home Victor put Mona away into her pokeball, she wasn't happy but saved him her usual complaints. "When Hop goes away to battle gyms we'll have more time to do what we want".

It turned out 'Lee' wasn't there yet, and Hop eagerly run off to the station in Wedgehurst, leaving Victor to follow at a much slower pace, avoiding wild pokemon he made it just in time to see Leon stop entertaining his fans after seeing Hop.

"Victor, you came too?" Leon smiled widely after Hop run off back home.

Victor just nodded as remaining fans looked at him, curious where this random child knows the champion from. "I think we should go, Hop will complain if you get swarmed by fans again," he said looking anywhere but at the champion.

"He wants to go on that challenge," Leon sighed as they slowly walked back to the fields, "unlike you, I've noticed. Any reason in particular?"

Victor didn't expect that. He had no idea what to say.

"You don't have to say if you don't want to, I'm not going to pry."

"Everyone in my family took the challenge, one of my grandfathers was a gym leader and other the champion. My parents meet during their gym challenge and both made it pretty far, they still have their pokemon from then, my cousin is a gym leader. My twin sister won the minor league, joined a gym and will be going to the major league this year. Everyone always pressures me to join the challenge, my grandpa even gave me a pokemon last year but I don't care enough to train her, I just let her do her things when I roam the fields a... I talk too much don't I?" Victor said before noticing how talkative he got.

"I don't mind, usually people expect me to keep a conversation going. I think Hop will try to drag you along for his challenge but I won't push. being a champion for five years I can see that not everyone might be interested," Leon gave Victor a wide smile as he said it. It was reassuring.

"If I didn't know better I'd say you're bored with being the champion. Hop's at that age, my sister would talk a lot about pokemon at that age too."

"Wait, you're older than Hop?" Leon looked visibly shocked at those news.

"I'm seventeen since a few weeks ago, I think Hop never asked about my age."

"That's Hop for you, never lets anyone talk. If he ever became the champion Oleanna would murder him before he could lose the title. So you've got a pokemon already?"

"Yea, gramps gave me a dreepy, I never showed her to Hop," Victor shrugged.

There wasn't much more time for them to talk as Hop jogged back to complain how slow they were. "You need to be more patient if you want to be a great trainer," Leon said patting his brother's head.

"Lee~ it's my birthday, you can be a bit faster today," Hop whined dragging his brother along. Leon just laughed giving Victor apologetic look. 

"Fine. fine, let's go," Leon gave up with a sigh. 

When their little group made it to Hop and Leon's yard, Leon almost immediately introduced Hop and Victor to three small pokemon and offered Hop to choose first, since it's his birthday and all. He choose the grass type grookey and instantly turned to Victor and almost forced him to choose a pokemon despite Leon protesting a bit. "You shouldn't force anything on anyone, Hop."

"It's okay, I think Mona could use some company," Victor said half-joking. Leon being there gave him a confidence boost.

"Mona?" Hop asked, visibly excited.

With a sigh, Victor dug Mona's pokeball out of his pocket and let her out. Hop was instantly impressed and started jumping around the very unamused dragon completely ignoring Leon and Victor

"What happened to dreepy you told me about?" Leon asked sending charizard to keep an eye on Hop.

"I have a habit of wandering around, it got easier with a pokemon, I think she got fat beating up and chasing away wild pokemon. I think I'll take sobble, a bit more reserved pokemon will do me go... Mona no biting Hop." he got interrupted seeing his pokemon get ready to chomp on his neighbour's arm.

After Mona was stopped from biting and introduced to sobble, (now named Leo) their mothers came to make the boys help set up a barbecue.


End file.
